Happy/National/Kayaking/Day

A/Holiday/I/declared/the/Tuesday,after/Labor Day,2010.//When/I/was/in,where/else?Cedar Key.
A/magnificent day/began with/sunrise from/the balcony.

Loft bedroom/tour.

Downstairs/and out/the door/for my/traditional/last day/walk.

Atsena/Otie/Key/left,Seahorse Key/in the/distance.//Wind,again from/the/southwest/as
I/stood/on the/fishing dock.Did not/look good/for/the long/paddle/to Seahorse.

Cedar Key/is small,very small.//So/you have/seen these/scenes/before,if/you are/aTalegator.

So/I/tried for/some detail.

 Knothole/view

 19th/century/RR/track?

 An/hour's/jaunt

View/from/my/door.

 Cedar Key/gets very/quiet/on weekdays.

 Last/balcony view

Traditional/log entry

 View from/the/kitchen table

View on/the/kitchen table

Mahi,and/Kaukauna/on/marble rye

Checkout/at11.My receipt/is/timestamped,11:05.//$314.27,for

3/nights.//More/expensive/than usual/as no/AAA/discount/for/the/holiday weekend.

115.00,Sat,and Sun,58.50,Monday-AAA/discount/was back.//Still,less,expensive than

other spots/on/the island.//With/daily/housekeeping.//I/told/the/desk clerk/I/wish/I

could afford/a/better tip.($6)"Oh,you're easy"

Because/I/try/to/keep/it/cleaner/than/my/own home.//That/elicited/a/laugh.

 Said/good-bye,until November,if not/sooner,and moved/the car/for the/first time
since Saturday.//Across the/street.//On the/water at/11:26.

Paddled/to/Astena/Otie

Shell/midden.//19th/century/pencil factories/were not

the/first occupants.

 Pencil/mill/ruins

Tern!Tern!Tern!...with apologies,to the/Byrds

 Lots/of/bird/pics/at/the/dock.//Good/thing/as/they/are/scarce/once in/the open/water.

Dolphins are/in the/open water.//Two above/with/Seahorse Key/in the/distance

 Seas/were/calm,so/I/began/to paddle/to/Seahorse Key.///About3/miles.//Not/1/as/I/wrote/a
few days/ago.

 Grassy Key

Getting closer.//Saw/more dolphins/No photos.

Almost there

 Lighthouse

Closed/to/the/public,except/for/a/few"open houses"

I/got/to/visit,last summer

 Labor Day,laborers

Dozens/of/magnificent/frigate birds/circled overhead.

Despite their/numbers,I/was unable/toget

a/photo......until...

I/paddled/around/a/band.and/there/they were.

 Whiteheads/are/young,red throats/are males/wanting to/create/more youngsters

One/of/two/fishermen/I/saw

 Osprey also/like/Seahorse Key

Seahorse/Key/is/a/big/sand dune

Took/a/break/around/2:30

 A/long/paddle back/to/Cedar Key

Looking/for animals/in the/clouds

Dolphin/with fish

 Saw/real/dolphins too.//Failed,again.toget/pics.

Steamers(foreshadowing)

I/had/just about/the perfect/paddle.//The/southwest/breeze/which had/prevented me

from paddling/to/Seahorse/earlier/was/not/there when/I/went out.

On/the return/it/picked up//At my/back.

 Landed at/5:25

Took/the above,and below,photos/to show/how/close/the

Gulf is/toParkPlace

Maybe,November2

 I/thought of/heading home,but/worn out,and sunburned/I/decided to/gather my
strength and/have dinner.

At Steamers.//Clamchodwer,of course

Seafood pasta

 A/fine dinner.//28.34,and/a/fivebucktip

Six other/diners.//Cedar Key/is very/slow during/the week.

Twoother/DockStreet/establishments,The

PickeledPelican/and the/Big Deck,weren't/even open

7:00PM,National/Kayaking/Day,and my/4day

Cedar Key/weekend/winds down

I'm/in Florida,thanks to/my friend,Oly.///He's6'5",so/a/shot/of

BigO's/inWilliston/is the/perfect way/to end/this Tale..

But,just/remembered,when/I/returned home/my/neighbors

also were/coming in."Look at/your lawn"//He had/cut

2/3rds/of it.//I/had/let it/grow/longer than/usual/due

to my/achy/back.//Healing is/more important/than the

grass.//A/generous neighbor/was/the perfect/close

to/the/long weekend.